Romans 4:11

Romans 4:11

I've often seen people showing off their diplomas or other certificates of achievement. They are with good reason quite proud of their accomplishment and the diploma is evidence of their success. Yet the piece of paper itself isn't worth much without the hard work it represents. If you separate the two, it's the accomplishment that they are proud of, not the paper on the wall.

It seems to me that the circumcision is similar. It is an outward sign of the real reason to boast, not the reason itself. It is in fact a sign of a great achievement: Abraham's tremendous faith in God and God's covenant with him. I've never come across a better reason to be proud. Yet when we focus exclusively on the sign of the covenant and forget the covenant itself or the reason for the covenant, it's like separating the diploma from the achievement it represents and boasting of the diploma itself.